Health Plans

Up until recently I have been covered for health insurance by the company I was working for, it didn't cover my monthly meds but was good for hospital stays, emergencies etc and also gave the same cover for the wife

Now I've finished work I'm looking at opening a health plan for myself and the wife.

Looking for some recommendations really, a company / policy that will cover as I had previously but would also pay for my much needed meds, which are for hypertension

Any info / personal experience would be grateful.

Unfortunately, you are not going to be able to find any health insurance policy that will cover you for pre-existing conditions. You can lie on the application, assuming that you haven't been treated for hypertension over here - but if they ever find out that you have a history of it, your policy will most likely be cancelled.

Typically, a health insurance policy will not cover medications provided or purchased outside of a hospital. If you were in as an out patient, then a 30 day supply would probably be covered. However, after that, you would have to go in as an out patient again - or purchase the meds out of your own pocket.

OUt patient coverage is available, however it would cover only between 20 and 30 visits per year, and only pay maybe 2,000 per visit. The cost of out patient coverage is rather high - with my clients I typically don't recommend that they purchase it.

If you would like a quote, PM me and we can get together.

BUPA has the best coverage for the price in Thailand.

With all insurance policies here in Thailand, you may not be covered after you turn 70 years old unless you purchased a policy prior to you turning 61 years old. If you are now over 61, you will only be covered until you are 70 years old.

Doc
BUPA Agent
Udon Thani

Thanks Doc, I wouldn't want to go down the lying on application forms road.

I have been diagnosed and still treated for hypertension here in Udon, at the AEK. I get my meds there after a docs consultation every 3 months. I considered buying the meds outside the hospital but thought the hospital records / invoices would be a good source of information for a health plan when I finished working. 2,000 bht is about what I pay every 3 months.

And FYI, I'm just about to turn 50.

What is a rough guidelne for a years cover and would it cover the wife as well?

We haev Bupa a well, not cheap by Thai standards by american standards a whole lot less. 55K ( annual premium) for the wife and I both and I turn 60 next month. we opted for majo hospitilaztion only Ddoctor vists are reall not that expensive here. The key fo me lifetime coverage, it's in the later years a a norm when the big bill come.

We have had one claim, it was handled with no hazzle, to outlay from me. We had a private suite and I had food ordered from the Charoen Hotel. We did have emergency room treatment and that was also covered as we were admitted.

Before you ask try to avoid trucks when your on a bike

Is health insurance like car insurance? i.e. The longer you have it with no claims will decrease the overall cost year by year.

Since you are only 50 - your coverage is relatively cheap. As long as you were to purchase before you turned 51, your premium would be as low as 6,385 per year for 300,000 Baht coverage per accident / per illness (no maximum) up to 23,358 per year for 600,000 Baht coverage per accident / per illness (no maximum). I would recommend the 400,000 Baht coverage for the Udon Thani area - which would run you 10,591 Baht per year.

Rates are scheduled to increase between 8 and 10% on January 1.

Your wife's coverage would depend on her age. For every 5 years that she is younger than you, you can deduct approximately 2,250 Baht per year.

PM me with your e-mail address and I can e-mail you the information about policies, coverage and their costs. No obligation.

Lee wrote:Is health insurance like car insurance? i.e. The longer you have it with no claims will decrease the overall cost year by year.

No, the premium is normally based on age, and it goes up each year, as you get older.

arjay wrote:

Lee wrote:Is health insurance like car insurance? i.e. The longer you have it with no claims will decrease the overall cost year by year.

No, the premium is normally based on age, and it goes up each year, as you get older.

With BUPA the premium goes up every five (5) years. Approximate increase is 2,250 Baht.

There is of course, premium inflation - and the increases are about 10% every two to three years. No getting around that or getting older.

Thanks again Doc, I've sent you a PM with my email address

lee wrote:Is health insurance like car insurance? i.e. The longer you have it with no claims will decrease the overall cost year by year.

The wife and I have BUPA. We get a 10% discount per year based on "family" coverage. I have the emerald plan and she has the ruby plan. If we don't have any claims for the previous year, we get a 10% rebate check after we renew for the coming year. So all in all we get 20% off per year. If we have no claims. If we have claims, we'll only get the 10% family.
Which reminds me, I need to contact my agent and find out where my rebate check is.

I have health insurance which will cover pre-existing conditions. There are limits and you have to buy a minimum of 3 months. IT is not as cheap as BUPA. Here is the site and you can figure it out from there:

http://www.travelguard.com/travelinsura ... oducts.asp

There are numbers to call if you need help. I have filed claims with them with no problems.

banpaeng wrote:I have health insurance which will cover pre-existing conditions. There are limits and you have to buy a minimum of 3 months. IT is not as cheap as BUPA. Here is the site and you can figure it out from there:

http://www.travelguard.com/travelinsura ... oducts.asp

There are numbers to call if you need help. I have filed claims with them with no problems.

Thanks banpaeng, I'll check it out today.

Does anyone out there have any experience with a company called Health Care International which sells health insurance online from the UK. From what I have observed in my research they seem to have the lowest premiums for the coverage and beat any option available in Thailand by a long shot. I just need to make sure that they pay as agreed and have a good working relationship with the hospitals in Thailand.

(www.healthcareinternational.com)

God Bless!

This was on Thaivisa a year or so ago:
Posted 2009-11-01 19:20
"Healthcare International has a cheap package, but that includes 2000$ you have to pay for each disease per year. That means, if you have 3 medium operations with costs of 2000$ each, you pay 6000$ out of your pocket yourself. Needless to say, that all minor treatments you have to pay 100% too. Which can sum up! If you need dialysis, for example, this can be very costly if not properly insured.

Therefore, while HCI is cheap, it is not for people who cannot afford to pay a few thousand USD out from their pockets. But then, if you have that much money, why not pay a bit more for a proper insurance?"

It seems hard to believe that you could get a better deal through a UK/US insurance company than through a Thai company. I don't know any of the details, but Thaivisa has some sort of insurance program.....might be worth looking into.